


Quite Complimental

by colazitron



Series: Fic Advent 2012 [11]
Category: Union J (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-02
Updated: 2013-03-02
Packaged: 2017-12-04 02:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/705655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colazitron/pseuds/colazitron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and George don't really get on at first. Then George brings up this whole Gosh business and somehow they end up kissing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quite Complimental

Josh is unsure of George at first. He's not sure why, really. Everyone seems to agree that George is the epitome of loveliness. He's all smiles all the time, kind, funny and honestly not a bad singer. He's rather easy on the eyes as well with his apple cheeks and adorable hair that's slightly tousled if he's kept it under a beanie all day but still never ever manages to look rogue-ish because he's just so damn adorable. There's no reason for Josh to dislike him. He's not even talked to him all that much throughout boot camp. Not really at all, actually. Maybe a nod of recognition when they crossed paths for the fifth time or an "alright, mate?" if they happened to run into each other at the vending machine. But nothing that could in any kind of setting be constructed as conversation. So, no, Josh doesn't exactly have a reason to be wary of George. None at all, if he's being honest.

There's just something about him that Josh finds so, so, _so_ terribly aggravating. He's pretty sure it's actually not despite all the reasons everyone seems to be half in love with him already but because of them. Maybe he's also a tiny little bit jealous that Ella Henderson seems more than just half in love with him because maybe Josh is a little bit in love with Ella and her voice that seems to be able to fill the entire world. She's not just pretty, she's beautiful in this mature way, almost like she aged into it like a good wine, even though she's only 16 or... or.... timelessly so. Yeah. She's timelessly beautiful and smart and funny and lovely and Josh likes her and she likes George. So that might be part of it. It's not usually enough to make Josh frowny and borderline hostile towards someone he has no other reason to dislike but with how George is so infuriatingly _George_ it seems to be the figurative straw on the camel's back.

And then they make it through boot camp on the condition that they take on bloody George Shelley and his constant giggling and isn't that just the best thing that's ever happened to Josh. He quite possibly gnashes his teeth. Jaymi raises an eyebrow at him and Josh exhales deeply and shrugs. He knows he's being ridiculous and he very definitely will not let that jeopardise their future as a band. There is absolutely no way that will ever happen. He's determined to play nice with George and possibly get to know him and find a fault in him somewhere so he can get over what he uncomfortably thinks might be more than just a touch of jealousy and go on to win this bloody competition. Little Mix have proved less than a year ago that with enough enthusiasm and talent a group can very well go from being randomly thrown together to winning this whole thing. And he's determined to do just that. If they can do what even One Direction couldn't... well. That'd be good.

So Josh smiles at George when they all go for coffee after the filming's done and involves him in conversation and ooh and aahs at his stories and appears adequately interested. From the way Jaymi's half a second away from face planting into his lemon meringue pie though, he thinks he's maybe not doing that good a job. That's because Jaymi knows him though, right? George wouldn't notice, right?

"So, how old are you, anyway, George?" Jaymi asks after George has listed all of his siblings and bloody hell, is George secretly a Weasley? George laughs kindly like he gets that question a lot.

"18. But I'll be 19 soon."

"Oh, when? Maybe we can all have a party thing for it," JJ says.

"July 27th."

 _No way_ , Josh thinks.

"No way!" JJ says while Jaymi bursts into laughter. George looks startled and just a bit wary and Josh decides he likes that look on him and also that he needs to snap out of it. Well that explains it, he can hear his sister say in his head. _You don't take kindly to other lions in your pride, do you?_ His sister's a bit of an astrology nut and delights in pointing out that Josh has never gotten along well with other Leos, making him a textbook case of one. He feels rather more like a textbook wanker for it.

"What?" George asks.

"Joshie here's birthday is the 28th. You're almost exactly a year apart, then," Jaymi says, laying a heavy hand on Josh's shoulder. He seems to agree with Josh's sister.

"You turn 20?" George asks and Josh very much wants to make a quip about basic algebra. Instead he grins.

"Yeah. Maybe we can do a joint party or something? 48 hours of birthday celebration."

"Followed by another 48 of hangover," George says and smirks a smile Josh has never seen him wear. It's decidedly feline and just a little mischievous and gone in a flash as he does his usual giggling routine. Josh liked it though. He's pretty sure smirky George is one he could get along with.

 

One would assume that it becomes easier after that.

It doesn't.

 

As predicted, his sister has a ball of a time pointing out all the reasons why Josh probably won't warm to George, determined as he may be to do so. What Josh hadn't predicted was that George would try just as hard to get along with Josh as Josh would him and in doing so he's even more... _George_. It seems such a horrible thing, to dislike someone for who they genuinely are, but Josh doesn't deal well with constantly happy, smiley people. There has to be something wrong with them, doesn't there? No one's that happy all the time. It's not that Josh never laughs (no matter how many times everyone from friends to family claims that his face is stuck in a perpetual pout - that's just his face god damn it) it's just that he doesn't laugh all the bloody time without any fucking reason.

 

They make it through judge's houses regardless of the tension between them. Louis even says that they look so much like a group already, a unit and Josh feels his stomach clench in an attempt not to obviously not-roll his eyes at it. George shifts on his feet next to him and out of the corner of his eyes his smile seems a little forced to Josh. It's probably strange that the first time he feels something like a connection with George is because he's pretty sure that George doesn't really like him either but it's a start, isn't it? Better that than nothing, Josh supposes.

As soon as they're in a camera free zone, Jaymi slings an arm around each their shoulders and pulls them close.

"Did you hear? We seem like _a group_ ," he says. Oh, Jaymi. He never really cared much for subtlety. JJ laughs and gives them all bro-y pats on the backs. Josh catches George's eye and when he rolls his eyes at him Josh gives him a genuine smile. Yeah, his friends can be eye-roll-worthy every now and then but he's pretty sure George rolls his with the same fondness as Josh does and, well, that's something at least. Something good.

 

Josh thought it would definitely be getting easier after that, but he still feels like sighing heavily whenever George approaches him and it's almost halfway through the competition. This time is really no different than any of the other times and Josh is almost getting sick of himself. Only then George heaves his own heavy sigh and rolls his eyes for good measure.

"Alright, listen. What I'm about to say will sound completely absurd and I would've asked Jaymi if it weren't for a good reason not to, so please just listen and put how we don't get on aside?"

Well. Seems George isn't one for subtlety either when the fancy strikes. At least he's not smiling.

"Okay," Josh says and puts away his phone because this sounds ominous and possibly important.

"Okay," George says and sighs again, like he's psyching himself up to it. "So... you know One Direction."

He doesn't say it like a question but Josh lifts an unimpressed eyebrow at him anyway. Obviously he knows of One Direction.

"And you know how their fans tend to pair them up and give them couple names and such? Especially Harry and Louis?"

Josh nods and really hopes this isn't going where he thinks it's going.

"I figure it helped them gain a solid loyal fanbase and get on in the competition."

Josh shrugs. This is going where he thinks it's going, isn't it? George rolls his eyes.

"Alright, I'll spell it out. You and me. We should go for that."

"And you're not asking Jaymi because of Olly."

"Exactly."

"JJ?" Josh asks and he knows he's whining a bit but he can't help it. Pretend to be a bit in love with George when he can't even really stand him? Yeah, that'll probably work well. Not. George only gives him a look and Josh has to sigh and concede the point. Yeah. Not JJ.

"I don't want to go back to the bottom two," George says frankly.

"Really? I had such fun there," Josh says and for the first time lets his voice be as scathing as it wants.

"Don't be a cunt. It was a suggestion. Are you in or not? It's only around cameras anyway."

"Mate, we're always around cameras."

"Jesus, I'm not asking you to love me or snog me or anything. Just maybe pretend you don't hate my guts."

"Yeah, how's anyone supposed to believe that 180 anyway?" Josh asks because he's genuinely curious. He knows that people have picked up on the tension between them. Well, at least on the tension coming from Josh's side. _George_ with all his giggling and fluffy pseudo One Direction hair of course is perfectly innocent in everything in the eyes of the public.

"Well, obviously you've had a crush on me and didn't want to deal with it," George says. Josh snorts.

"Obviously."

"Hey, if we were a TV show and one of us were a girl, we would be drunkenly snogging at a school dance in a few episodes."

That is true, Josh has to admit.

"Yeah, alright," he says instead. He can pretend to fancy George a bit, probably. He's not entirely sure if this is, like, an okay thing to do, especially considering Jaymi and Olly and how he's not exactly in the closet but not exactly out of it either, but. Well. If it's not, he's sure Jaymi won't have any qualms telling them off.

 

So then off they go. "Yes, George is carrying my baby", "I'd take Josh on a deserted island, cause he's beefy", "come twerk with me". It's ridiculous and it doesn't entirely keep them from the bottom two, but their fans do react to it. Their tweets to each other get the most favourites and retweets and "Gosh" becomes a common topic of conversation on twitter and tumblr. As George said, a lot of it is about Josh's hidden crush on George that supposedly caused the animosity between them in the first place. It's bloody ridiculous but it's somehow also very fun to watch their fans run around like headless chickens, even if he doesn't get the appeal of the thought of him and George snogging.

"I think it's how boys think two fit girls snogging is hot," George says with a shrug as they scroll through twitter.

"So what you're saying is I'm fit," Josh says with a teasing grin. George rolls his eyes and smiles.

"Your face was engineered in a boyband lab, Joshie, don't pretend. It's unbecoming."

Josh laughs and George grins.

"You're spending way too much time on fan sites."

George shrugs unrepentantly and they settle into a comfortable silence, arms occasionally brushing up against each other where they sit in front of George's laptop. It occurs to Josh, suddenly, that they're being perfectly friendly and he doesn't feel uncomfortable around George right at this moment. Actually, thinking about it, he doesn't really feel uncomfortable around George all that much at all anymore. This morning he even slung an arm around his shoulders as they walked to breakfast. Just because. It's almost like they're friends.

"Huh," he says.

"What?" George asks.

"Have you noticed how I haven't rolled my eyes at you in days?"

George seems to think on it for a moment and then turns to Josh, a slightly surprised look on his face.

"You really haven't, have you. You even hugged me this morning."

"Well, I wouldn't say _hug_..."

"Of course not, you cold, emotionless bastard. Who cries at the news."

"Tears happen to be the only appropriate reaction to pointless violence, poverty and or starvation."

"Yes. Well. But," George says, but Josh cuts him off.

"Nope, there's no way you're getting out of this one without sounding like a twat, don't even try."

"Fine, morally superior human being Josh Cuthbert, it was still half a hug."

"Yeah, maybe," he says and when George snorts in amusement he feels like he accomplished something wonderfully great. Maybe there's something wrong with coming to like George because he has a delightfully manipulative side that he's completely unapologetic about, but Josh figures it's still better than not liking him at all. Now that he can stand his company, he finds he rather enjoys it too. JJ's not really one for banter, or at least his version of banter tends to be too laddish too soon for Josh's taste, and Jaymi... well, Jaymi's probably a bit glad he doesn't have to deal with Josh all the time. They get on well enough, the three of them, otherwise they wouldn't have tried for this as a group, but it's actually nice, now that George is with them and they can spend time apart or in twos without automatically leaving one of them on their own.

"You know, I'm glad you joined us," Josh decides to say. George looks at him with eyes like saucers. His brows furrow a bit then and his lips twitch like he wants to say something, probably a quip about how Josh might have a fever, but then he smiles instead and his apple cheeks pop out and for the first time Josh doesn't mind at all. It suits him.

"I'm glad too," George says.

 

 

They end up coming fourth which is almost as good as One Direction and they know they're no Little Mix and when they get offered a contract anyway, Josh is pretty sure that it's at least partly due to the fan attention that Gosh got them and a lot due to the press attention that Jaymi's official coming out announcement got them. They have a thing now. They're the first boyband with an out member in a committed relationship before they've even released their first single.

 

 

"I still don't get the appeal of me snogging you," Josh says, leaning against George and the headboard of their double bed. They've taken to sharing a room when sharing rooms is a thing, since JJ likes to pick up girls and Jaymi likes to bring Olly. Currently, JJ is asleep in his own room and Olly and Jaymi have joined them in their room for what was supposed to be watching TV or a film or playing board games or any sort of activity, but has deteriorated into hanging around on the bed only half-awake.

"I do," Jaymi and Olly say at the same time and then laugh at each other. George snorts in amusement.

"You don't have to understand it as long as the fangirls like it," George says.

"Or you could just try it and find out," Jaymi says with a grin that's more of a leer. Josh chuckles at that and stretches his leg out so he can sort of poke him in the thigh with his toes.

"You just want us to put on a show."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind."

"Not happening," Josh says, because he has no actual desire to kiss George and lately he thinks that for all his denials, maybe George is a bit more than half in love with Ella too and, well. That probably means he's no desire to kiss Josh either.

"Aw, you're no fun," Jaymi says, pulling a ridiculous pout. George laughs and Josh just rolls his eyes. Like no one's ever tried that tactic before.

"I'll give you ten quid," Jaymi says then and raises a challenging eyebrow.

"What are we, prostitutes?" Josh asks.

"Cheap prostitutes," George says.

"Only if you take the money," Jaymi says with a grin. "Not if you do it for free."

Josh snorts amusedly. "Nice try, Jaymi. Still not happening."

"Shouldn't you have something to say about this, Olly?" George says. Olly only grins at him while Jaymi lets out a little laugh.

"Nah, I'm with Jaymi on this one." They high-five each other and Josh and George roll their eyes in a synchronised move that makes Jaymi really glad they get along now.

"It can be your engagement present to us," Jaymi says.

"You got engaged over two years ago! And I _did_ get you a present," Josh says, faux outraged.

"George didn't," Olly says with a grin.

"I didn't even know you! You'll get a wedding present, but I'm not retro-actively giving you an engagement present."

"Oh, come on," Jaymi says, trying for a pout.

"Do you even realise who you're pouting at?" George says before pouting back, making Jaymi roll his eyes and Olly laugh at their antics.

"You do realise that the more you ask, the more fun it is to say 'no', right?" Josh says.

"You are such children," Jaymi says, earning himself a laugh and a disbelieving snort from his two bandmates and a placating pat on the thigh from his fiancé. They lapse into silence then, all more lying than sitting on the bed by now and following their own trains of thought. Jaymi's eyes slip closed and his arm buckles so that he crashes into Olly, who lays an arm around him in response.

"Shall we head off to our room then?" he asks quietly. Jaymi nods and they both push themselves upright and crawl off the bed.

"You're no fun," Jaymi says and waves an accusing finger between George and Josh, Olly's hand at the small of his back guiding him from the room.

"Have a good nap," Josh calls after them and George giggles. Jaymi flips them off over his shoulder and then the door closes behind them. They've not really been all that loud before, but the silence that falls over the room after their departure seems strangely absolute regardless. Josh wiggles further down onto the bed until he's laying down on the mussed up duvet and pats the space next to him.

"We should have a cuddle nap too."

"'m not really that tired though," George says. "I'm in a chilling mood, not a sleeping one. If I sleep now, I'll not fully wake up after, I just know it."

"Stop being so smart about this."

"Excuse me for not wanting to be grumpy," George says, but scoots down anyway, curled up opposite Josh, so they end up staring at each other slightly groggily.

"Well, what do you want do then if you don't want to nap? Cause I don't really feel like moving all that much."

"You don't have to. I can just play on my iPad and listen to music or something. You can nap."

"No," Josh says, drawing the vowel out in a whine and pulling his features into a pitiable pout. George bops him on the tip of his nose with a smile, coaxing an unwilling smile out of Josh as well. "That's no fun."

"Well, lying here staring at your face isn't really that much fun either."

"How very dare you," Josh says. “I have an exquisite face.”

“Maybe, but I know it by heart by now. No fun staring at it anymore.”

“Well, who says you have to stop at staring,” Josh says and walks two fingers up George’s chest, smiling at him teasingly. Instead of playing along though, George’s face sobers into a serious expression as he studies Josh. Under the scrutiny, Josh pulls his hand back and his own face falls into a slightly confused, slightly worried frown.

“What?” he asks.

“Do you, like, want me to kiss you or something?” George asks.

“Er, no? What?”

“Just. You keep bringing it up and I don’t really know what to do with that, to be honest.”

“No. I’m just. I’m just joking,” Josh says, feeling his face heat up a bit under George’s considering gaze and silence.

“It’d be okay if you weren’t. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’d just like to know.”

“No, really, I was just joking. I don’t. I mean and you. You’ve got Ella, yeah?”

“I’ve not ‘got’ Ella.”

“Yet,” Josh says with a grin and briefly George’s lips twitch into a smile as well, before falling back down.

“Even so. You’d tell me, wouldn’t you? If you wanted to stop this Gosh business or needed me to back off or something, yeah?”

“George,” Josh whines, burying his face in the sheets for a moment before resurfacing and peeking at George with one eye. “I’m not in love with you. Christ. Don’t be so arrogant.”

“You just keep bringing up this snogging business...”

“Just because it’s a bit weird.”

“It’s not that weird.”

“Well, no, of course not, but it’s. I don’t know.” Josh sighs. “Don’t you ever think about it?”

“No, I do, sometimes. It just, like, doesn’t bother me?”

“It doesn’t _bother_ me either. I just get curious.”

“So you do want me to kiss you,” George says and pokes Josh in the chest with a teasing grin. At least they’re back to not taking this seriously again.

“I. A little, yeah? I suppose? I’ve just never kissed a boy and all this Gosh business keeps me thinking about it all the time.”

“Yeah, alright. I get that,” George says. And then, “So, like, do you want to?”

“What, now?”

“Well, we’re already in bed. Might as well,” George says, lips curling up into Josh’s favourite smirk. Is it weird that he’s got a favourite smile on George? Especially when they’re talking about actually kissing each other?

“Oh. Well. Alright,” he says.

“Okay then,” George says and nods once, decisively, before wiggling closer. It looks ridiculous and Josh finds himself smiling briefly, before the situation catches up with him, when George’s face is suddenly right there in front of him. They look at each other briefly, gauging the probability of the other freaking out if they do really do this, and then let their eyes fall shut almost at the same time. Josh tilts his head forward and guesses George must too because then there’s the familiar feeling of a pair of lips pressed against his. They both pull back almost immediately, unsure.

“Dare you,” Josh whispers, looking at George look at him. George huffs a little laugh, licks his lips and leans in again, so Josh does too. This time they don’t pull away immediately. George reaches out a hand that comes to lay lazily and heavily on Josh’s cheek while he suckles Josh’s bottom lip in between his own. Josh reaches out his own hand until his fingers brush George’s jumper and he lets them curl loosely into the fabric; not really to hold on to George, more just to have something to do with his hand. George separates their lips for a moment and then wiggles even closer, their legs slotting together and chests almost touching so they don’t have to strain their necks to reach, before kissing Josh again. It’s quite nice, actually, Josh decides. George’s lips are warm and soft and they know what they’re doing, pressing little pecks against his own before staying for a slightly more lingering kiss, switching back and forth and keeping it interesting.

“Can I slip you the tongue?” George leans back to ask and Josh can see him waggles his eyebrows even if his vision is a bit blurry with how close they are.

“You're such an idiot,” he says and kisses George again, opening his mouth against his. George hums like he’s pleased and licks inside his mouth languidly. Josh meets the lazy touches of his tongue with his own and finds he’s enjoying himself quite a bit more than he thought he would. Neither he nor George could ever grow a successful full beard and whenever the one or other hair sprouts, they shave them off, so there’s no prickly stubble or anything that could make this feel any different than his other kisses. He’s quite aware that he’s kissing a boy, a friend, but it doesn’t physically feel any different, really. Other maybe than the lack of boobs against his chest or under his hand that’s still pressed up against George’s chest. But a lack of anything doesn’t really feel like anything either. It’s not like he’s really missing them all that much. (Should that mean something to him?)

George’s hand slips from his cheek back into his short hair and Josh is secretly a bit glad because George’s palm was starting to get a bit sweaty. There’s no real leverage to be gained in his hair, but George does have rather large hands and he cups the back of Josh’s head easily and even though in their position he can’t really do anything with that, there’s still the promise of how he would, if they were in another position. Josh nudges their noses against each other, pulling back so their lips are only barely connected before diving back in, enjoying the slow touches of their lips and tongues.

There’s a slightly restless feeling tickling inside his toes, like static electricity and he wiggles his feet a little, pressing his heel against George’s calf and pushing his leg further between his own. It’s not enough. He huffs a breath and pushes against George with his chest until he rolls over and lets Josh hover above him. Josh barely gives him time to lift a teasing eyebrow at him, before kissing him again, burying his own hands in George’s fluffed up hair. They’ll have to re-do it later anyway, so he doesn’t feel too bad about messing it up, only about how it’s probably uncomfortable for George when his fingers get caught in a tangle once or twice. He doesn’t dwell on that too long either though, kissing George deeply and waiting for the buzz in his veins to abate. George huffs a noise high in his throat when Josh tilts his head back and Josh finds himself storing that information away like he’ll ever need it again. The thought of doing this again is actually quite nice and makes Josh pull back to push up on his hands and look down at George. George’s own hands lie on the sheets almost by his head like he just couldn’t be bothered to do anything with them and his face is a little flushed. Josh guesses he’s not faring any better.

“So, this is fun,” he says.

“It is,” George says, a bit like he wasn’t it expecting to be either.

“So, do we just...?”

“Yeah,” George says, shrugging. “Better than sleep.”

Josh snorts in amusement but silently agrees anyway.

“Still not in love with you, for the record,” he then says.

“Well, good,” George says and trails up one of Josh’s arms with his hand. “So can you kiss me again?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Josh says and leans back down.

“Jaymi’ll be so huffy he didn’t get to watch.”

“He doesn’t have to know.”

“I’m not being your dirty little-” George starts, but Josh doesn’t let him finish, covering George’s lips with his own and licking the words out of his mouth. George huffs a breath through his nose and pinches Josh’s arm, but settles into the kiss easily.

Yeah, definitely better than sleeping, Josh thinks. And Jaymi absolutely doesn’t have to know.

 

**The End**


End file.
